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NFL Draft Rumors: New York Jets considering trading up for Jameis Winston

By Patrick Schmidt

Mar 31, 2015; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston throws during FSU Football Pro Day at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports
Mar 31, 2015; Tallahassee, FL, USA; Florida State Seminoles quarterback Jameis Winston throws during FSU Football Pro Day at the Albert J. Dunlap Athletic Training Facility. Mandatory Credit: Phil Sears-USA TODAY Sports /
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The New York Jets will host Jameis Winston and are entertaining the thought of trading up in the NFL Draft to take the Florida State quarterback.

Could the Geno Smith era already be over in New York?

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The New York Jets have made it clear they are intent on upgrading the quarterback position and have previously held a private workout for reigning Heisman Trophy winner, quarterback Marcus Mariota and now will host the 2013 winner, Jameis Winston later this week, according to ESPN.com.

Winston is the presumptive No. 1 overall pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers so he won’t be playing for the Jets in 2015, unless the Jets and general manager Mike Maccagnan pull off a trade with Tampa Bay, and trading up is something that Maccagnan hasn’t ruled out.

According to the ESPN.com report from Jets reporter Rich Cimini:

"“There is virtually no chance Winston falls to the Jets, who own the sixth pick, but he’s highly regarded within the Jets’ organization. Aggressive general manager Mike Maccagnan hasn’t ruled out the possibility of trading up, sources said, although it’s unclear how high he’s willing to go or which player he’d be targeting. The cost to move to No. 1 or No. 2 will be enormous, but there’s a sense among teams in the top 10 that the Jets are a threat to move up.”"

If the Jets stay at No. 6 they may miss out on both Winston and Mariota who may be the first two players taken in the draft later this month, but would the Jets be willing to part with their No. 1 pick this year and next in addition to a combination of second and/or third round picks to get a polarizing quarterback like Winston?

The prospect of having anyone other than Geno Smith or the recently-traded for Ryan Fitzpatrick may entice the Jets brass and their fans, such a move comes with great risk and Maccagnan will have to determine if the reward outweighs the risk.

Of course, the Jets can always stay at No. 6 and hope Mariota falls to them and have him enter the quarterback competition or they can pass on Mariota should he be available and take the best receiver or edge rusher available, which are both needs.

If the Jets go that route then they’d be in the market for a quarterback in the second or third rounds with Brett Hundley, Bryce Petty and Garrett Grayson the next three prospects, although there is a considerable drop from the top two in Winston and Mariota.

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